Reebok Has the Perfect Shoes for the Man With the World's Fastest Feet

If you're the kind of person who enjoys jogging through dizzy dystopian structures amid explosions and cascading Ping-Pong balls, while some random dude keeps the beat on his drum kit, Reebok's got the sneaker technology for you. Called Flexweave, it's designed for comfort, durability and speed, and it's on surreal, quick-cut display in the minute-long spot below from Venables Bell & Partners. The ad features training specialist Luis Badillo Jr., who claims to possess "the fastest feet in the world" (hey, someone must), wearing Reebok's Fast Flexweave as he sprints through dreary, disorienting, dreamlike locations including an abandoned subway station, a dilapidated bank and a disused post office: [kickout id="2"] "The consumer we are hoping to inspire is the athlete who is training to develop speed and quickness and needs a shoe that enables that ambition," Reebok senior director of brand management James Woolard tells Adweek. "So we want the consumer to see a modern, innovative and compelling demonstration of speed and fast feet." With a peppy percussionist, no less! "The drummer allowed us to further illustrate the speed and syncopation of Luis' feet, and also added a textual element that brought in some dynamism to the flow of the spot," says Venables associate creative director Byron Del Rosario. That's jazzman Eric Vaughn wailing on the skins, as Badillo kicks up water, multi-hued powder and red paint during his run. (Baddy's put his heart and soles into painting before, by the way.) "Part of the allure of this spot was that all the stunts were shot practically, so there were real steps and then steps that were in-set with paint containers" that burst beneath Badillo's footfalls, Del Rosario says. Sure, we've seen the pulse-pounding, packed-with-images, music-video approach before. The new Originals film from Reebok parent Adidas springs to mind as a prime example. Here, the style seems like an especially good fit, given Reebok's penchant for performance-driven messages and high intensity. Director Henry Hobson creates a compelling contrast between the bleak interiors and bright bursts of action, tossing in a madcap mix of elements to punctuate Badillo's fleet, fancy footwork. CREDITS Fastest Flexweaves: Brand: Reebok Spot Name: Fastest Flexweaves Air Date: 2/5/18 Agency: Venables Bell + Partners Chairman: Paul Venables Executive Creative Director: Will McGinness Creative Director: Tyler Hampton Associate Creative Director: Byron del Rosario Senior Art Director: Tim Green Copywriters: Ryan Hoercher and Jake Reilly Head of Strategy: Michael Davidson Group Strategy Director: Jodi Shelley Director of Integrated Production: Craig Allen Agency Producer: Julia Oetker-Kast Production Company: Furlined Director: Henry Hobson Director of Photography: Kasper Tuxen Executive Producer: Ben Davies Line Producer: Bill James Editorial Company: Work Editorial Editor: Stewart Reeves Assistant Editor: Paul Jarolimekproner Post Producer: Marlo Baird Sound Design: Therapy Studios Sound Designers: Eddie Kim Music: SOUTH Music and Sound Mix: One Union Recording Sound Engineer: Joaby Deal VFX: Blacksmith VFX Producer: Charlotte Arnold and Alexa Mauro VFX Supervisor: Iwan Zwarts Color: Co3 Colorist: Tom Poole Group Brand Director: Michael Chase Brand Director: Nicole Spinelli Brand Manager: Lindsie Levinson Business Affairs Manager: Susan Conklin Creative Resource Manager: Katrina Strich Duality Metaphors: Brand: Reebok Spot Name: Duality Metaphors Air Date: 2/5/18 Agency: Venables Bell + Partners Chairmain: Paul Venables Executive Creative Director: Will McGinness Creative Director: Tyler Hampton Associate Creative Director: Byron del Rosario Senior Art Director: Tim Green Copywriter: Ryan Hoercher & Jake Riley Head of Strategy: Michael Davidson Group Strategy Director: Jodi Shelley Director of Integrated Production: Craig Allen Agency Producer: Julia Oetker-Kast Production Company: GLP Creative Director & DP: Gary Land Executive Producer: Greg Smith, Abe Sands & Ed Varites Editorial Company: Lumberyard Editor: Danny Figuera Post Producer: Liz Carlton Sound Design: Therapy Studios Sound Designers: Eddie Kim, Dillon Cahill & Brandon Kim Music: Cityscape Sound Composer: Nick Andre Mix: One Union Recording Sound Engineer: Joaby Deal VFX: Lumberyard VFX Supervisor: Dani Sanchez & Zac Wollens Color: Co3 Colorist: Tom Poole Group Brand Director: Michael Chase Brand Director: Nicole Spinelli Brand Manager: Lindsie Levinson Business Affairs Manager: Susan Conklin Creative Resource Manager: Katrina Strich Material Animations: Brand: Reebok Spot Name: Material Animations Air Date: 2/5/18 Agency: Venables Bell + Partners Chairmain: Paul Venables Executive Creative Director: Will McGinness Creative Director: Tyler Hampton Associate Creative Director: Byron del Rosario Senior Art Director: Tim Green Copywriter: Ryan Hoercher & Jake Riley Head of Strategy: Michael Davidson Group Strategy Director: Jodi Shelley Director of Integrated Production: Craig Allen Agency Producer: Julia Oetker-Kast VFX Company: Haymaker Executive Producer: Fredrik Swerin Producer: Henrik Friberg VFX Creative Director: Jeff Boyd Sound Design & Mix: Therapy Studios Sound Designers: Eddie Kim, Dillon Cahill & Brandon Kim Group Brand Director: Michael Chase Brand Director: Nicole Spinelli Brand Manager: Lindsie Levinson Business Affairs Manager: Susan Conklin Creative Resource Manager: Katrina Strich Static/Retail Executions: Brand: Reebok Campaign: Fast Flexweave/Fusion Flexweave Chairman: Paul Venables Executive Creative Director: Will McGinness Creative Director: Tyler Hampton Design Director: Cris Logan Associate Creative Director: Byron Del Rosario Designer: Andre Cabral Copywriter: Ryan Hoercher & Jake Riley Production House: GLP Director of Integrated Production: Craig Allen Director of Art Production: Jacqueline Fodor Agency Art Producer: Marissa Serritella Photographer: Gary Land Retouching: Pacific Digital Image Head of Strategy: Michael Davidson Group Strategy Director: Jodi Shelley Group Brand Director: Michael Chase Brand Direction: Nicole Spinelli Brand Manager: Lindsie Levinson Director of Retail: Brian Diecks Director of Retail Design: Peter Antonelli Director of Strategy: Harlan Kennedy Retail Producer: Tess Rockers Creative Resource Manager: Katrina Strich

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Reebok Has the Perfect Shoes for the Man With the World's Fastest Feet

Luis Badillo Jr. tries out the Fast Flexweave

David Gianatasio

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